Three in four local authorities do not provide mandatory cyber security training to their staff, Big Brother Watch has revealed, despite human error being a significant factor in most data breaches.

The privacy campaigners behind the research said they were concerned by their findings given the rapid accumulation of personal data by councils across the country.

The report revealed that more than a quarter of councils (114) have had their computer systems breached in the past five years and that 25 had experienced a breach that resulted in a loss of data.

More than half of those hit by a breach did not report it, the report found. However, the Freedom of Information results used to gather the data did not reveal how many of those breaches affected personal information.

Organisation are not legally required to report data breaches, but the Information Commissioner’s Office urges them to do so anyway. When GDPR comes into force in late May, firms could face significant fines if they fail to.

Jennifer Krueckeberg, lead researcher at Big Brother Watch, said she was shocked to discover that the majority of councils’ data breaches go unreported and that staff often lack basic training in cyber security.

Hardly a week goes by without a new revelation about some insidious hacking attempt or other cybersecurity incident. This drumbeat of frightful headlines, along with pressure from companies and constituents, rightfully has lawmakers rattled and looking for new ways to address our burgeoning cybersecurity crisis.

Last week, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., became the latest to suggest that “cyber incidents” should qualify for coverage under the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act, a series of liability protections used to spur the growth of anti-terrorism technologies. However, the market for cybersecurity technologies is already too robust for this kind of market intervention to do anything but stifle the very innovation that it seeks to accelerate.

The SAFETY Act passed in the wake of 9/11 to assuage the fear that companies would not invest in beneficial anti-terrorism products and services because of liability concerns. The law allows entities to have anti-terrorism related technologies and procedures sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for evaluation. Those meeting certain standards are either “designated” or “certified” under the SAFETY Act for five years and given special liability protections if the DHS secretary designates an otherwise liability inducing event as an “act of terrorism.

Awareness and concern over security against cyber threats is growing. It’s about much more than the risk of personal data being hacked into.

A hostile cyber attack is classed by the UK’s National Security Risk Assessment as a Tier 1 risk, putting it in the most serious category alongside international terrorism, an international military crisis and a major accident or natural hazard. The National Cyber Security Centre was set up in 2016 (as a branch of GCHQ), and later the same year the government confirmed a cyberstrategy budget of £1.9bn over five years.

And although there have been high-profile examples of cyber security breaches, including the ‘Wannacry’ ransomware attack on the NHS last year, the centre’s head Ciaran Martin recently said that the UK had been fortunate so far to avoid a so-called ‘category 1’ attack – an assault that could cripple critical infrastructure such as water or electricity supplies or financial services. He warned that it was a matter of “when, not if” such an attack occurred.

There is little wonder, then, that demand for cyber security specialists has grown dramatically in the past few years, as has demand for the services of companies seeking to hire their expertise.

General Cybersecurity Conference

April 12, 2018| Hoover, Alabama, United States

Cybersecurity Conference Description

TechBirmingham, the Central Alabama Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (CAISSA) and the InfraGard Birmingham Members Alliance are once again very excited to host the Alabama Cyber Now Conference. Now in its third year, the conference delivers an even larger event where you can hear from well-known keynote speakers, network with peers, participate in breakout sessions and take time to visit with dozens of vendors and hear how their products are addressing today’s security concerns. The addition of several information security and workforce focused workshops on April 11th make the 3rd Annual ACN Conference a must attend event for sure.

Cyber security risks are growing in complexity and volume, but artificial intelligence techniques can help businesses track and fight them in real time

Cyber criminals continue to launch increasingly sophisticated and devastating attacks on industrial, business and financial organisations around the world – and the damage from such crime could reach $6tn by 2021, according to a report from Cybersecurity Ventures.

It has become clear that organisations cannot simply rely on manpower and human interaction to fight off cyber attacks. Not only is it time-consuming for employees to spot potential threats, but it is also challenging to come up with security technologies to prevent them. So there are fears that businesses will continue to fall victim to hackers.

As a result, organisations are being forced to consider new ways to boost their cyber defences. Whether it is implementing new cloud strategies or big data analytics, many companies are showing that they can think outside the box when it comes to modernising their IT security defences.

But artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as the frontrunner in the battle against cyber crime. With autonomous systems, businesses are in a far better place to strengthen and reinforce cyber security strategies.

General Cybersecurity Conference

April 10 – 12, 2018| Canberra, Australia

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference will be back in 2018, bigger and better than ever.

In its fourth year, the Conference will again feature leading cyber security experts from Australia and abroad, to discuss the latest threats, mitigations and advances in cyber security.

The ACSC Conference will be one of the premier cyber security conferences of 2018 and will provide delegates, sponsors and exhibitors with an opportunity to forge collaborative partnerships.

Our vision is to promote, inspire, and support women to recognise and embrace the opportunity of a career in cyber security. Through working collaboratively with Government, industry, and academia, we seek to ensure the cyber security workforce is equipped with the skills and diversity of thought to address security challenges into the future. To support this vision, the ACSC Conference 2018 program will strive to include an equal number of female and male speakers.

General Cybersecurity Conference

April 4 – 6, 2018| Liverpool, United Kingdom

Cybersecurity Conference Description

This symposium focuses on how digital technology can motivate and influence people to behave more cyber-securely. It will bring together researchers, designers, developers and cyber-security experts interested in computers designed to change cyber-security attitudes and behaviours. The symposium will cover a wide range of topics on persuasion, from behaviour intervention methods to persuasive argumentation and persuasive user interfaces.

Cyber security has become a top of mind issue for commercial organizations across the world. Most big corporations have strong disciplines and risk management procedures in place to ensure cyber resilience is tight. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a typical home network.

Poor cyber hygiene at home is the gateway that enables cyber criminals to get personal. An open home Wi-Fi connection versus a password protected system could make all the difference if a bad actor attempts to hack a personal bank account or bitcoin wallet.

High net worth (HNW) individuals with deep pockets are particularly at risk of personal cyberattacks. Member-owned PURE Insurance, which serves HNW clients, has developed an innovative cyber fraud offering to protect PURE members from falling prey to cybercrime.

PURE Starling, available as an add-on to homeowners’ insurance, provides broad coverage for fraud and cybercrime, including financial loss resulting from online and offline fraud, and services to help assess and respond to cyber extortion threats, remove malware and reinstall software after an attack.

“The issue of cyber insurance was born out of feedback from our PURE members, who were starting to express concerns about data security and the privacy of their personal information,” explained Martin Hartley, chief operating officer, PURE.

General Cybersecurity Conference

March 26 – 27, 2018| Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Cybersecurity Conference Description

In May 2017, WannaCry affected organizations across the globe, including numerous hospitals. It led to work shut down at hospitals across the United Kingdom and affected hospitals in Canada and United States. According to a report by an investment banking advisory firm Alpen Capital, the GCC healthcare market is projected to grow at a CGR compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1% per annum from an estimated $40.3 billion in 2015 to $71.3 billion in 2020. With this growth comes the risk of cyber-attacks which can vary from financial fraud, medical insurance fraud, attacks on computer-controlled medical devices to patient information.

MENA Cyber Health Summit, scheduled to take place on 26 & 27 March 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aims to create a platform for all stakeholders to discuss and help healthcare organizations develop a real-time response and recovery, to cyber threats.

General Cybersecurity Conference

March 21 – 22, 2018| London, United Kingdom

Cybersecurity Conference Description

Legal Cyber Security Expo is dedicated to helping law firms, independent solicitors and Global organisations defend themselves against the increasing threat of cyber attacks. This exhibition will run alongside Legalex; a legal event specifically designed to help the businesses evolve and expand. Over two days, this exhibition also aims to house the latest systems and services that could help law firms, teams and organisations minimise the risk of a potentially devastating cyber hack.